Where does “真っ先” come from?
真っ先 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 先, from Middle Chinese 先 — first, former; earlier, first.
真っ先 (Japanese): the very first; the foremost
Definitions
- the very first; the foremost
Ancestry of “真っ先”, step by step
真っ先 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese 先
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 先 | before, previous; end, tip; earlier, the past |
| 2 | Middle Chinese | 先 | first, former; earlier, first |
via Japanese 真っ
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 真っ | prefixes nouns, adjectives or adjectival nouns... |